


Something More

by WordsInTimeAndSpace



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Mention of Past Physical Abuse, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 00:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5476418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsInTimeAndSpace/pseuds/WordsInTimeAndSpace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he and Rose visit a Christmas party on the estate, the Doctor might have expected an invasion of aliens trying to take over the world. What he didn't expect was someone from Rose's past to turn up and make everything go pear-shaped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Secret Santa story for rosemariontyelr on tumblr! Happy Christmas everyone :)

“Here you go!” Rose grinned, her cheeks flushed, and slumped down on the couch next to him. She pressed a mug of eggnog into his hands before taking a sip of her own drink.

“Cheers,” the Doctor said, trying not to stare as Rose licked a few drops off her lips. She let out a content hum and the Doctor tore his gaze away from her, glancing over the room full of people instead. The flat was crowded, with people talking and laughing and Christmas music blaring from the speakers. The sweet scent of cinnamon wavered through the air.

“Told you this Christmas party would be fun,” Rose said, bumping her shoulder against his.

With Rose pressed close against his arm, close enough that her scent filled his nostrils and he could feel the heat radiating off her body, the Doctor couldn't really disagree. The alcohol buzzing in his veins might have also helped, together with the Santa hat and the red dress Rose was wearing that made him want to do things he tried not to think about in public. He would never admit it out loud though, so he only shrugged and used his free hand to pull at his ear.

“Yeah, it's not too bad,” he finally said.

“Says the guy currently drinking his fourth eggnog. I see how you're having a terrible time.”

“Well, it's still a bit...” He trailed off, looking for the right words.

“Domestic?” Rose asked, grinning up at him. “Good way to practise for Christmas Eve with my mum, though.”

The Doctor grimaced. “That's only in two days; enough time to go for a trip to recover a bit in between, don't you think? Your mother is out tonight; she won't even notice when we sneak back to the TARDIS after the party.”

“No way. She'll never forgive us if we come back too late. I don't trust your driving, mister,” Rose said.

“It's not that bad! Seriously Rose, that one time,” he whined, rolling his eyes.

“One time? More like twenty times. In the last months.”

The Doctor spluttered, and Rose gave him a teasing grin, her tongue poking out between her teeth. It made him forget what he wanted to say in defence within a second. 

He remembered that tongue, and the memory made this sight even more distracting than before. He remembered how it felt against his lips, hot and wet and smooth, creating emotions inside him that were both frightening and glorious all at once. But that had happened around a week ago, on a space station underneath a black hole. One single kiss when they were both in need of comfort. Since then they were tiptoeing around each other, afraid to make the next step forward, to turn that one kiss into something more. It was getting a little ridiculous, the Doctor thought.

“But seriously, this is just a party with a few guys from around the estate,” Rose continued without acknowledging his inner turmoil. “I only know a handful of them from school. It's not exactly more domestic than that party we went to last month, you know, except that this is on Earth.”

“Suppose you're right,” the Doctor said. “And it would've been rude to call off after we promised Shareen to come last time, don't you think?” He scratched his neck, looking around. “Where is she anyway? She's been gone for quite a while.”

Rose shrugged, perching herself up so she could sweep her gaze through the room. “Dunno. Maybe met a bloke, she tends to do that-”

She stopped abruptly. The Doctor heard how she sucked in a sharp breath before sinking back into the cushions, pressing herself against the back of the couch as if she was trying to disappear behind him. He looked at her in alarm.

“What's wrong?” he asked, panic lacing his voice. Looking around, he tried to place what was upsetting her – but he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. No aliens hiding between the party guests. “Rose, what did you see?”

Rose squeezed her eyes shut, letting out a breath. When she looked up again to meet his gaze, she hesitated for a second, as if she had the words already on the tip of her tongue. But then she plastered a smile on her lips that didn't reach her eyes. “It's... it's nothing. Just... something I remembered. It's fine.”

Her voice was trembling, just a little bit, so subtly he almost missed it. 

“You're a terrible liar. You know that, right?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“No, I mean it. It's okay. Nothing to worry about.”

“You don't sound convinced.”

Rose let out a sigh. “It's... can you just leave it? It's fine; I'm fine.” 

“Rose-” he began one last time.

“Doctor,” Rose interrupted, glaring at him. The Doctor gulped.

“Fine. Fine, okay. No more questions.” he finally said, and Rose let out a breath. She placed her hand on his knee, a gesture of reassurance, or so the Doctor thought – but then Rose's hand stayed right there. He flickered his eyes down to her fingers, just to make sure he wasn't imagining it, and blinked in surprise at her sudden change of manner.

It wasn't that they weren't used to touches like this, quite the opposite. But apart from the occasional cuddle during a film night their touches never lingered like this. There was the quick hug after an adventure, the hand-holding while they were running away from danger, the stroking of fingers against arms or backs when someone was in need of comfort. But this was new. This was Rose's hand on his knee, her fingertips moving in small circles, her warmth seeping through the fabric of his trousers in a way that made the blood rush in his ears. It was terribly distracting. 

He raised his head to look at Rose, searching for answers, but she didn't meet his eyes. Her gaze flickered nervously through the room, focusing on nothing in particular. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, her shoulders tense, as if she was ready to bolt any second.

The Doctor placed his hand on hers, the only way he could think of to tell her that this was all right, more than all right if he was honest, but it didn't calm her down. He could feel her pulse thrumming against his fingertips, far to fast, and he heard how Rose sucked in a shuddering breath. 

There was something that upset her, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. Something that had nothing to do with him. But before he could form a cautious question, Rose curled closer into his side. She rested her head on his shoulder, inching her hand higher up his leg, and looked up at him with fluttering lashes.

“Is this all right?” she asked.

The way she was looking at him stopped every coherent thought in his mind. He could only nod, his eyes fixed on her face that was suddenly so very close, and thought that he might agree to everything she would've said right in that moment.

Rose shifted, bringing her lips even closer to his. His eyes flickered to her mouth as she licked her bottom lip, and he swallowed hard. Her eyes were dark when he looked up, watching him intently. The tension was so thick he knew this was the moment when they'd finally snap before it actually happened. 

He wasn't sure who moved first to close the distance between them, and he didn't want to think about it now. Because one second later Rose's lips were on his, kissing him like he'd craved all week. Craved for months, if he was being honest. Her lips were warm and soft against his, teasing and coaxing him to return the kiss. The Doctor curled an arm around her waist, pulling her closer, and opened his mouth for her with a gasp. His tongue brushed along her bottom lip, making Rose shiver in his arms. She tasted like gingerbread and eggnog and... something that wasn't right at all. The Doctor froze.

Uncertainty. Anxiety. And more than that – fear. He could taste it in the hormones in her saliva, clear proof that something was wrong. He had known it before, her racing pulse and the tension under her skin hadn't done much to hide it, but this was the final bit that made him come back to his senses. Rose wasn't all right. She was not herself. He could think of thousands of good reasons for Rose Tyler to kiss him, but whatever it was that made her do it in this moment, he was sure it wasn't on the list.

A few long seconds passed until Rose registered he wasn't responding to the kiss and slowly pulled back. She raised her eyes to his, hurt and rejection clear on her face. The Doctor opened his mouth, searching for the right words to reassure her, but before he could say anything Rose jumped to her feet. She averted her gaze to the floor, her cheeks burning, and mumbled something about needing the loo before she fled out of the room.

The Doctor was left on the couch, staring after her with his hearts pounding in his chest. His mind whirled as he tried to understand what had just happened, but he came up blank. Rose's kiss had left him light-headed and confused. It had all happened too fast to make sense to him.

Five minutes passed, ten minutes, and the Doctor couldn't help but getting anxious. He tried to tell himself that Rose just needed a moment to herself, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong. He tapped his fingers on his knee, feeling more and more troubled as the minutes passed by. And then he couldn't take it any more. Jumping to his feet, the Doctor set off to find her, burrowing his hands in his pockets as he strolled through the room crowded with strangers.

He made his way through the living room and the kitchen without any trace of her. He just passed the hallway in front of the loo when Rose's voice finally reached his ears. It was coming from outside and was laced with anger and fear, making his hearts stutter in his chest. 

Without any hesitation the Doctor pushed his way through the crowd and burst out of the door. A few steps away, Rose was backed against the wall, a man towering over her and holding her arm in a firm grip.

“... your boyfriend is obviously not at all interested and I'm nice enough to take pity on you,” the man said, his voice slurring. “You should be thankful that at least one person on this party is willing to shag you.”

“Leave me alone” Rose said through gritted teeth, trying to yank her arm out of his grasp.

“C'mon Rosie, nothing we haven't done before,” the man said, leering at her with a grin that made the Doctor's stomach turn. He lunged forward, gripping the wrist of the attacker and twisting it until he howled in pain. He immediately loosened his grip on Rose's arm and the Doctor grabbed his collar, yanking him away from her. 

“You heard her! Leave her alone,” the Doctor growled as he stood between Rose and the other man. 

The man swept his gaze over the Doctor, huffing as he rubbed his wrist. 

“I was just talking to her. This is none of your business,” he sneered, taking a step forward. The Doctor clenched his hands into fists.

“I'm done talking to you,” Rose snapped behind him before the Doctor had the chance to speak. “Piss off, Jimmy.”

Jimmy glared at her, looking like he was ready to snap, but then he only spat on the floor in front of them and turned around, stomping back into the flat while grumbling under his breath. The Doctor let out a breath, waiting until he was sure Jimmy was gone before he turned around to Rose.

She had wrapped her arms around herself and leaned her back against the wall, avoiding his gaze. The Doctor reached out to curl an arm around her trembling shoulders, but Rose flinched and the Doctor stopped dead in his tracks. 

“Are you all right?” he asked, desperate for an answer. 

Rose nodded quickly, not looking at him. “I want to go home,” she finally said, her voice wavering as if she was trying hard not to burst into tears.

Not sure what to do when Rose wasn't accepting his comfort, the Doctor quickly nodded. “Yeah, yes, of course. I'll- let me get your jacket,” he stuttered, waiting for Rose to nod before he dashed back into the flat to grab their coats.


	2. Chapter 2

They were silent on the way back.

The Doctor's fingers itched with the need to reach out to hold Rose's hand, but she still had her arms wrapped around herself, clutching at her jacket. She stared straight ahead, her gaze lowered to the ground, and when she didn't make any attempt to take his hand that was swinging between them, he buried his hands in the pockets of his coat. The Doctor gulped, panic coursing through his veins as he desperately searched for something to say. Here he was, in a regeneration which possibly had the biggest gob in this part of the universe, and he still couldn't think of anything to say to make things better.

Their quick footsteps on the concrete were the only sound in the dark of the night. The wind was sweeping through the streets so harshly it made them both shiver, but the party was only a few blocks away from Jackie's flat. The few minutes they needed to get there passed in silence, with the Doctor restlessly glancing at Rose every few steps. He took in her expression, not giving away any of her feelings, and his stomach dropped. This wasn't a Rose he knew. He desperately wanted to reach out to her, but before he could gain the courage they arrived in front of the house where the TARDIS was parked. 

Without looking at him, Rose walked over to the ship, pulled her key out from under her shirt and pushed open the door.

The Doctor rushed to follow her, the warmth of the console room sweeping over him as soon as he entered. The TARDIS greeted them with a low hum, happy to see them after they had spend the last day at Jackie's place. He walked over to the console, checking the screens more out of habit and the need of having something to do than necessity, so he barely heard Rose's quiet words when she spoke to him from the other side of the room.

“I'm going to bed,” she mumbled, her voice quivering, but when he whirled around to her she was already hurrying down the corridor, clearly intent to get as much distance between them as fast as she could.

The Doctor let out a sigh, raking his hand through his hair, and leaned his back against the console. He wondered silently how the evening could have gone pear-shaped that quickly. Not only did he muck it up completely, but then they also run into Jimmy bloody Stone.

He had heard that name before, but Rose had never said much about him except two things: he was an ex-boyfriend and an arsehole. She was quite insistent on the last part, but she was always quick to change the subject, so he never knew what exactly Jimmy had done to earn the title. 

Now he knew, the Doctor thought bitterly. He was sure it wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Anger burned in his veins as he recalled how Jimmy had spoken to Rose and how he had held her arm in a firm grip, strong enough that it must have hurt. The Doctor clenched his hands into fists. He tried not to imagine what would have happened if he hadn't intervened. He didn't know how far Jimmy would have gone, how far he did go in the past. The urge to chuck that bastard into the nearest black hole was almost overwhelming, but the Doctor forced himself to calm down.

Taking a few deep breaths, the Doctor finally let go of the console, barely aware how hard he had been gripping the edge in a desperate attempt to keep his fury at bay. Right. No matter how much he wanted to take revenge, Rose was more important right now.

~~~

Ten minutes later, he was standing in front of Rose's door, two steaming mugs of tea in his hands. He couldn't knock, so he pressed down the handle with his elbow and pushed open the door with his hip. He stopped in the doorway, peering into the room. Rose was lying in bed, the blanket tugged over her face.

“Rose? Can I come in?” the Doctor whispered. A few long seconds passed until Rose let out a hum, a low noise somewhere in the back of her throat. It was the only indication that she'd heard him. The Doctor hesitated for a second, but then decided to interpret the noise as a “come in” instead of a “get out”, so he finally slipped into the room. 

He placed the mugs of tea on the night stand and sat down on the mattress. Rose shifted, the rustling of the blankets the only sound he could hear except for his racing heartbeat pounding in his ears. But she still refused to look at him, her distress clear even though she wasn't saying a single word, and his anger finally bubbled over.

“Did he hurt you?” the Doctor growled. 

The few seconds of silence that followed felt like hours.

“He just grabbed my arm, that was all,” Rose finally said, her voice muffled by the blanket over her face. “It's fine.”

The Doctor took a deep breath, afraid to say the next words out loud. “No, I mean... before today,” he said, his voice hoarse. “When you were together.”

Rose rolled on her back, pulling down the blanket far enough that he could finally see her. She ran a hand over her face and the Doctor's hearts clenched at the sight of tear tracks on her cheeks. He lay down beside her, reaching out to wrap an arm around her. His hearts skipped a beat when Rose didn't flinch this time, but instead turned to her side until she could curl an arm around his waist and press her face to his chest.

Holding her close, the Doctor ran his hands down her back and pressed a kiss to her hair. He could feel her shoulders trembling.

“Rose,” he said again when she didn't say anything.

“It was never-” Rose began, her voice breaking. “I mean, I got out before it got too bad. He was rough sometimes when we... well, and he got angry a lot, no matter what I said or did. I never thought he would actually hit me, but...”

The Doctor tightened his arms around her. “What happened?” he asked quietly, combing his fingers through her hair in a desperate need to provide some comfort. Rose let out a sigh.

“Not much. He was drinking and we got into a fight and then it just happened. I left right after I realized it wasn't really an accident, no matter how often he tried to tell me that his hand just slipped and he didn't want to hurt me. He was mad when I left him, yelling and calling me names, threatening me, but he never acted on it. I think mum showed up at his flat once she found out. He was walking funny for like a week.”

Despite everything, the Doctor chuckled. “Good old Jackie,” he said, and Rose giggled, but it didn't really sound sincere. It pulled him abruptly back into reality, making him drop another kiss on the top of her head.

“I'm sorry,” he said. Rose squeezed his waist in reassurance.

“It's alright,” she mumbled against his chest. “Like I said, there isn't much that happened. Nothing really bad. I just wasn't prepared to run into him tonight.”

“I'm sorry. I should've-” He abruptly trailed off. What should he have done to prevent this? He had been so oblivious to the whole situation that he only noticed what was going on when the damage was already done, when Jimmy had already cornered Rose and the only thing he could do was get her out before she was hurt.

Rose stiffened in his arms.

“It's not your fault,” she finally said, her voice tense. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done this.”

For a few seconds, the Doctor tried to figure out what “this” meant, but he was still confused. What had Rose been doing, except acting strangely and then doing the most wonderful things with her lips against his?

“What exactly were you doing?” he finally asked when the silence stretched for too long. His voice was a pitch higher than usual, and he cleared his throat, hoping Rose hadn't noticed.

“I-” Rose stuttered, trying again after taking a deep breath. “I saw Jimmy in the crowd. I didn't want to talk to him, but I knew he would try to when he saw me. I just thought...”

“You thought what?”

“That if he thinks I'm with my boyfriend he would leave me alone.”

The Doctor's breath caught in his throat. Right. That was what she'd been doing. Hiding from her abusive ex-boyfriend. It didn't mean anything. It had been a distraction, nothing else, and he was stupid to hope for something more.

He cleared his throat. “Right,” he said. “Good shot, I suppose. Too bad that didn't work out.”

Rose pulled out of his arms, sitting up with her back against the headboard. She ran a hand over her face and wrapped her arms around her knees. 

“I'm sorry,” she said again, a little more insistent this time. “I really am. I mean, I- I shouldn't have forced that kiss on you. I mean, it was obvious you didn't want it, and I stopped once I realized that, but still... it was kind of too late by then.”

The Doctor couldn't really put into words how far “didn't want that kiss” was away from the truth. Oh, he had wanted it, more than he could ever have imagined before he met Rose Tyler. He still wanted it, wanted to feel it again as soon as possible: the feeling of Rose's soft lips against his, so warm in comparison to his cool skin. 

He wanted to kiss her again and again, as often as he had the chance, because he wasn't sure how he could live without it now that he had gotten a taste – and that was a problem. Because he wanted Rose to kiss him for the same reasons, and not because she was trying to avoid that bastard Jimmy Stone. 

But none of these words left his lips. “It's fine,” he finally said, in a tone that he knew she wouldn't believe. Rose huffed.

“You don't sound like it's fine. And with the way you reacted it was clear it wasn't.”

“I hardly hauled you away from me.”

“You didn't do anything; that's basically the same thing.”

“I didn't-” he started, but he abruptly trailed off. He had no idea what he could say to explain himself, to explain how he felt, but then Rose turned her head and looked at him, finally, properly for the first time since they left the party. Before he could think or stop himself, the words tumbled over his lips.

“What I'm trying to say is, I knew something was wrong, and I didn't want to take advantage of you. You were upset; you wouldn't have done it in your right mind. That's why I didn't. Kiss you back, I mean.”

Rose shook her head. She swept a strand of hair out of her face, frowning as she studied his features. The Doctor tore his gaze away from her face, feeling warmth creep into his cheeks. He hoped the light in Rose's bedroom was dim enough that she didn't notice.

“Hold on. Are you saying...”

“Wouldn't be right, don't you think? Not if you felt pressured to do that only because Jimmy was there.”

“And if Jimmy hadn't been there?”

The Doctor cleared his throat. “Well... doesn't matter, does it?”

“It does.”

At the tone in her voice the Doctor turned his face back to her – and before he knew what was happening Rose's lips were back on his. Her fingers found his hair, brushing through the strands and gently angling his head for better access. The Doctor's mind was whirling, slow to catch up. The sensations of her lips against his own, her fingers in his hair, her chest pressed against his arm clouded every coherent thought. Before he could think about responding to the kiss, Rose was already pulling back. 

Her lips left his with a smack, but she stayed close, her forehead resting against his and her breath ghosting over his skin.

“Doctor, Jimmy isn't here right now,” she finally said, sounding a little breathless.

“Then why are you...?” he asked, his voice hoarse. He reluctantly opened her eyes – when did he close them? - and met Rose's gaze, her eyes warm and watching him with a trace of nervousness in her features.

Her lips curled into a small smile. 

“Isn't that obvious?”

And with that he understood. Because she was right, it was obvious, and he was just too thick to see it, his judgement clouded by self-doubt and fear of rejection. He stared at her, his mouth hanging open, until Rose moved to pull away from him. It finally spurred him into action.

The Doctor cradled her face with his hands, pressing his lips back to hers. Rose let out a gasp, a mix between surprise and pleasure, and he took the chance to deepen the kiss. Rose responded eagerly, tugging at his hair and making him moan into her mouth. 

The angle was still awkward, with both of them sitting against the headboard, but with one swift motion he pulled Rose down to her back. Hovering over her, he crashed his mouth back to hers, the urgency to feel as much of her as possible too overwhelming to take things slow. He felt his blood rush south as Rose tugged at his shirt until she could slip a hand underneath, her fingertips raking over his skin. 

The Doctor wasn't sure how far he would have gone of nothing had stopped them. But then he ran a hand down Rose's bare arm and she winced at the contact. The Doctor froze. 

He abruptly pulled away from her, noticing a bruise forming on Rose's skin where Jimmy had grabbed her. Arousal was suddenly replaced with fury.

“Are you all right?” he asked again, a little breathless, and ghosted his fingertips over the bruise. Rose glanced at the injury, her brow furrowing. She was panting for breath, her face flushed, and finally nodded.

“It's fine,” she said. “Didn't really notice it until now.”

“I can get something out of the infirmary. The pain will be gone in a tick, although it might be a little purple for a few days.”

“It's okay.”

“Are you-”

Rose cut him off by pressing her lips back to his. His head was spinning, in the best possible way, by the time they broke apart.

“Doctor, you're not leaving this bed right now,” Rose said. “Are we clear?”

“Very clear,” he grinned, before he leaned down for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand we're done. Thank you for reading! Happy Christmas everyone :)


End file.
